$100,000 for ‘Immediate Response’ Grants to Immigrant Nonprofits

February 6, 2017

Also: New Action Fund Will Support Civil Resistance

We are pleased to announce nearly $100,000 in grants to support the critical response of 8 local nonprofits to challenges triggered by the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on immigration, deployed through our recently launched Immigrant Rights Fund.

These Immediate Response grants support the following organizations that are defending the liberties of immigrant individuals and families as well as promoting the safety and strength of our communities:

Additional Funding Opportunities

Today, we are also announcing the establishment of an Action Fund to support ongoing civil resistance and organizing efforts—including community-building, public education, action planning, and event logistics—with grants up to $2,500.

For the duration of 2017, the Foundation will also be accepting letters of inquiry for Sustained Response grants on a rolling basis from immigrant-serving organizations to support organizing, mental health services, community safety, and legal services. These grants, awarded quarterly, will range from $10,000 to $25,000.

Immigrant Rights Event This Thursday

We hope you will join us this Thursday from 6:30-8PM at the Brooklyn Museum for “Defending Immigrant Rights: A Brooklyn Call to Action,” featuring a conversation with nonprofit leaders working on the frontlines of the fight for immigrant rights. The event is free and open to the public. Details and RSVP

About the Immigrant Rights Fund

The Trump Administration’s adverse and restrictive position on immigration poses a substantial threat to Brooklyn’s economic strength as well as the stability of our families and communities. Brooklyn is home to nearly 950,000 foreign-born residents—nearly 40% of the borough’s population—and almost half of all Brooklyn businesses are immigrant-owned.

We launched the Immigrant Rights Fund in late 2016 with the goal of deploying at least $1 million over the next four years to support the immediate and long-term needs of immigrant communities affected by exclusionary and destabilizing government policy changes, while strengthening collaboration among immigrant-serving nonprofits in the borough.

To date, we have raised $700,000 for the Fund and would love to surpass our $1 million goal—there is a lot of work to be done!

Liane Stegmaier

Vice President of Communications and Strategy

“In times like these, we are prouder than ever to call Brooklyn home. This Executive Order on immigration has been met with overwhelming resistance across Brooklyn’s communities, thanks in large part to the powerful organizing work of immigrant-led nonprofits. Through our Immigrant Rights Fund, we are supporting a diverse cohort of organizations who are working together at the intersection of immigrant rights, religious liberty, racial justice, and gender equality. We call on all Brooklynites to stand with our immigrant communities today, to preserve our borough’s strength and inclusiveness.”
- Brooklyn Community Foundation President and CEO Cecilia Clarke